Turn Off Ads?
Page 1 of 6 12345 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 86

Thread: Bailey good enough to start?

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Bailey good enough to start?

    Bailey good enough to start?

    Reds notebook

    BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

    DUNEDIN, Fla. - When Reds manager Jerry Narron was asked if left- vs. right-handers would be a factor in choosing between Justin Germano and Michael Gosling, he kept his answer simple.

    "It doesn't matter," Narron said. "It's going to be the guy who we think has the best chance to get people out."

    That led to the next logical question: What if you determine Homer Bailey has a better chance to get people out than Germano or Gosling?

    "That's a good question," Narron said.

    Narron said that sometimes, from where he sits, Bailey looks like the best choice when it comes to getting people out. And the Reds very well could have an opening in the rotation if Paul Wilson isn't ready when the season starts.

    But that does not mean Bailey will get the nod.

    "Sometimes you have to do what's best for the long haul, not the short term," Narron said.

    Bailey, 19, the Reds' No. 1 draft pick in 2004, has pitched well so far in spring training. His ERA (3.86) is better than Germano's (4.85) and Gosling's (5.68).

    But the Reds won't rush Bailey.

    "We think Homer can be a great pitcher," Narron said. "Part of that process includes time in the minor leagues. Homer understands that."

    Narron said Bailey has to work on putting hitters away. His stuff is so good that hitters tend to foul off a lot of pitches, which runs up Bailey's pitch count.

    Bailey is pitching today in one of the split-squad games. The Reds want Bailey to get as many innings as possible.

    "I'm very impressed (so far)," Narron said. "He doesn't look like a 19-year-old out there. He's very composed."

    GRIFFEY ON WAY: With the United States eliminated from the World Baseball Classic, Ken Griffey Jr. will return to the Reds shortly.

    Narron did not know exactly when. He doesn't expect Griffey to join the club today in Orlando, Fla.

    "I don't know what the rules are," Narron said. "What did he get, 20 at-bats (in the WBC)? He's probably more ready than anyone we've got."

    Griffey went 11-for-21 with three home runs and 10 RBI in the Classic.

    Javier Valentin, who played for the Puerto Rican team, returned to the Ed Smith Complex Friday.

    He'll play today against Pittsburgh.

    MILTON UPDATE: Left-hander Eric Milton pitched six innings in a simulated game Friday. He allowed one run on five hits, walked none and struck out two.

    Milton is coming back from a strained calf.

    "He fielded a couple of bunts," general manager Wayne Krivsky said. "He had no problems."

    The Reds will wait to see how Milton feels today before deciding when he can pitch in a game.

    GREAT DANE: Valentin's return will mean a severe reduction in Dane Sardinha's playing time.

    Sardinha has impressed Narron.

    "I was very impressed with the way he received the baseball," Narron said. "He's a good catcher. He gets rid of the ball quick. The more I saw of him, the more I liked him."

    Defense has never been a problem for Sardinha, the team's second-round pick in 2000.

    And his offense?

    "He hit some balls hard," Narron said.

    Sardinha is hitting .250 for the spring after going 1-for-3 with two RBI Friday.

    E-mail jfay@enquirer.com

    http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.d...603180361/1071


  2. Turn Off Ads?
  3. #2
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    Young pitchers battle for Reds' rotation spot
    Germano sharp vs. Toronto; Gosling gets turn today
    By Hal McCoy

    Dayton Daily News

    DUNEDIN, Fla. | The spectre of Paul Wilson not being ready to perform when the season opens leaves a line of question marks strung out across the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation.

    While Wilson works diligently daily to strengthen his surgically repaired shoulder, there remains the main question: What if?

    As of now, 17 days away from Opening Day, the alternatives are lefthanded Mike Gosling or righthanded Justin Germano.

    Gosling and Germano both have limited major-league experience, but if Gosling is the guy it places four lefthanders in the rotation — Brandon Claussen, Eric Milton, Dave Williams and Gosling.

    If that's a problem, manager Jerry Narron is acknowledging it and all but says if a guy can dropkick the ball over the plate and retire major-league hitters, so be it.

    "It doesn't matter to me," said Narron. "We'll take the guy who gets the most people out and can do the job. We're just looking for people to get hitters out and give us a chance to win."

    Germano, 23, started Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays and was good, even better than Roy Halladay, who this week signed a $40 million three-year contract extension

    Germano, hoping for a big-league contract at minimum wage, held the B-Jays to one run on six hits over four innings, walking none and striking out two, in a 9-2 win. The run was a home run by Eric Hinske, who homers against the best.

    "That was my fault," said Germano. "I left a fastball over the plate and you can't do that to a hitter like him. I was happy with today, even though I'm still searching for command of my off-speed stuff.

    "A chance to win a spot in the rotation is definitely in the back of my mind, but I don't want to add pressure and think if I don't pitch will I won't make the team."

    Germano was acquired last July 23 from San Diego in the Joe Randa trade and was 3-2 with a 4.01 ERA in eight starts at Class AAA Louisville after he was 7-6 with a 3.70 ERA for Class AAA Portland before the trade.

    His major-league experience is five starts and two relief appearances for the 2004 Padres — 1-2, 8.86 ERA in 21 1/3 innings.

    Gosling, 25, starts today in Bradenton against the Pittsburgh Pirates and so far this spring he is 1-0 with a 5.68 ERA over three appearances covering 6 1/3 innings. His major-league experience is 19 games, nine starts, for Arizona and he is 1-4 with a 4.53 ERA.

    With the hunt for pitchers who can get hitters out, a question arose: How about Homer Bailey. He is only 19, but the team's No. 1 draft pick in 2004 has pitched this spring with the style and grace of a 29-year-old veteran.

    And it hasn't escaped Narron's eye.

    "It would be interesting to see what he would do with 34 major-league starts this year," said Narron. "But sometimes what is good for the long haul is better than for the short haul.

    "One of the things I like about Homer is that he doesn't want to be in the big leagues now, he wants to be a great major-league pitcher later," Narron added. "He understands the process of pitching in the minor leagues to learn and get better."

    While Narron sees greatness ahead in the 6-4, 205-pound righthander who was 8-4 with a 4.43 ERA in 21 starts and seven relief appearances last year for the Class A Dayton Dragons, he sees a learning curve, too.

    "He has to learn to get ahead in the count and put guys away early," Narron said. "He throws a lot pitches because his stuff is so good batters can't square the ball on the bat and they foul off a lot of pitches.

    "We want to give him the chance to be great, so we'll keep pitching him and do what's best for him," he added.

    http://www.daytondailynews.com/sport...18redsweb.html

  4. #3
    Redsmetz redsmetz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Winton Place
    Posts
    12,908

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    I think the current plan for Bailey is a good one - start him at Sarasota where the weather's warm and then move him up to AA when summer arrives. I don't believe we're going to make the play-offs this year. Let's bring him along.

    Frankly, I'd like to see Ryan Wagner have a full year in the minors. We rushed him and I think he's been struggling to stay at that level. Give him the time he should have had. Some may disagree with that, but I'd like to slow him down a bit and give him the chance for greater success at the level he should be at.

  5. #4
    You're killin' me Smalls! StillFunkyB's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Florence, KY
    Posts
    3,138

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    No need to rush HB.

    I really hope the Reds FO feels the same way.

  6. #5
    This one's for you Edd Heath's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Dayton Area
    Posts
    8,470

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    He's not Felix Rodriguez. Let the kid play in the Minors.

    Spring training does two things -

    One - 6 weeks does not make a career.
    Two - The hope of spring will turn into the rising tempatures of summer. Henceforth, as summer approaches, your ERA will also rise.
    Some people play baseball. Baseball plays Jay Bruce.

  7. #6
    Kmac5 KoryMac5's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Waterloo, NY
    Posts
    4,039

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    Let Bailey start the season in double A and call him up in Sept as a nice reward if he's made progress. Having Bailey start with the big club does nothing but rush him and put his arm under alot of stress something we as fans don't want to see.

  8. #7
    Man Pills Falls City Beer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2000
    Location
    Philadelphia
    Posts
    31,207

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    Bullpen?
    “And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject.” Jamie Galbraith

  9. #8
    Member traderumor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Columbus, OH area
    Posts
    19,923

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    I hope all the talk about Bailey from the Reds is just hype. He still should not even be considered for 2-3 more years, and that assuming he starts to dominate somewhere. To date, he has accomplished nothing.
    "Rounding 3rd and heading for home, good night everybody"

  10. #9
    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    49,393

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    traderumor, to say he has accomplished nothing would be incorrect. I am sure he is a much better pitcher right now than he was a year ago. He had a good year in Dayton last year. He struck out 125 in 103 and gave up just 89 hits in 103 innings. He walked a lot of guys, and he needs to work on that. If he can cut down on the walks and maintain the same success everywhere else, watch out.

  11. #10
    Member pedro's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    portland, oregon
    Posts
    15,217

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    It would be criminal to not keep the kid in the minors.
    School's out. What did you expect?

  12. #11
    Big Red Machine RedsBaron's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Out Wayne
    Posts
    24,134

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    Homer should not apear in a major league game until at least this September, and probably not for another season or two. Take him along slowly.
    "Hey...Dad. Wanna Have A Catch?" Kevin Costner in "Field Of Dreams."

  13. #12
    Member traderumor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Columbus, OH area
    Posts
    19,923

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    Quote Originally Posted by dougdirt
    traderumor, to say he has accomplished nothing would be incorrect. I am sure he is a much better pitcher right now than he was a year ago. He had a good year in Dayton last year. He struck out 125 in 103 and gave up just 89 hits in 103 innings. He walked a lot of guys, and he needs to work on that. If he can cut down on the walks and maintain the same success everywhere else, watch out.
    There is no way you can be sure of such a thing because you have no evidence to support the contention. Until his performance provides evidence that such is the case, his performance to date has been substandard for a high #1 pick. It is a nice hypothetical thought, but the evidence of the Reds picking the right guy is suspect, and even moreso the idea of a pitcher being developed in the Reds system is an oxymoron. Guys do not improve in the Cincy system, they get worse. And so far, Homer's performance is consistent with the Reds' draft and development of pitchers' track record. The only qualification I'll make is an accomplishment that M2 pointed out recently--he seems to be healthy.
    "Rounding 3rd and heading for home, good night everybody"

  14. #13
    Member icehole3's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2000
    Posts
    4,084

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    Did anyone see the Reds special on Tom Seaver. Back in 1969, Gil Hodges took one look at his pitching staff in spring training and declared Seaver as one of his starter's, basically told him time to become a man. Seaver's response was Ok and the rest is history. I wish our manager had those type of nads.

  15. #14
    Member pedro's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    portland, oregon
    Posts
    15,217

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    Quote Originally Posted by icehole3
    Did anyone see the Reds special on Tom Seaver. Back in 1969, Gil Hodges took one look at his pitching staff in spring training and declared Seaver as one of his starter's, basically told him time to become a man. Seaver's response was Ok and the rest is history. I wish our manager had those type of nads.

    That's funny because Tom Seaver was 24 in 1969 and had already been in the majors for 2 years having won 32 games with an ERA under 2.70.

    Now even if you mean 1967, not 1969. The comparison still doesn't wash because Seaver was 22 in 1967. Homer Bailey won't even be 20 for 2 more months and hasn't shown himself to be a Tom Seaver like talent up to this point in the minors. Why anyone would think of throwing him to the wolves at this point is beyond me.
    Last edited by pedro; 03-18-2006 at 02:29 PM.
    School's out. What did you expect?

  16. #15
    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    49,393

    Re: Bailey good enough to start?

    Quote Originally Posted by traderumor
    There is no way you can be sure of such a thing because you have no evidence to support the contention. Until his performance provides evidence that such is the case, his performance to date has been substandard for a high #1 pick. It is a nice hypothetical thought, but the evidence of the Reds picking the right guy is suspect, and even moreso the idea of a pitcher being developed in the Reds system is an oxymoron. Guys do not improve in the Cincy system, they get worse. And so far, Homer's performance is consistent with the Reds' draft and development of pitchers' track record. The only qualification I'll make is an accomplishment that M2 pointed out recently--he seems to be healthy.
    Of course there is no way of knowing. Even if he had good numbers there would be no way of knowing. As for what has happened in the past having anything to do with Homer Bailey, I still dont buy into it. Homer Bailey is his own pitcher. I will go with todays outting for the Reds as a little example that he is better. 2 2/3 ip, 5 strike outs, no earned runs. Plenty of guys improve in the Reds system, most of them just arent pitchers. As far as Bailey being consistant with Reds other drafted pitchers, well he gives up few hits, hardly any home runs, strikes out a ton and gives up more walks than he should. I dont think Bailey fits anywhere along the lines of Reds past pitchers. As for todays game, it seems the Pirates are killing the ball against everyone except for Homer Bailey.


Turn Off Ads?

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.

Thank you, and most importantly, enjoy yourselves!


RedsZone.com is a privately owned website and is not affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds or Major League Baseball


Contact us: Boss | Gallen5862 | Plus Plus | Powel Crosley | RedlegJake | The Operator